This research examines the effects of brand music on consumer behavior in a stadium retail store. Brand music is custom-fit music embodying the unique attributes and characteristics of a brand, using distinctive lyrics in otherwise analogous music to prime specific concepts. Extant research on store atmospherics and theoretical perspectives of conceptual fluency guided this investigation and aided in hypothesis development. A total of 232 shoppers were randomly intercepted during two shopping scenarios in which brand music or generic (popular) music was played in a stadium retail store. Structural equation modeling was utilized to examine a series of testable hypotheses. Brand music was found to affect participants’ perceptions of musical fit, which led to favorable effects on evaluations of the store environment, satisfaction with the shopping experience, and attitudes toward the brand. Results not only have implications for sport retailing, but also for sensory marketing and sport consumer behavior.
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